#men making apologies

[gay-otlc]

The people who think gay trans man have straight privilege because they have the "option" to "escape" homophobia and live as straight women are blatantly disregarding the fact that for a lot of trans people, the options aren't "gay trans man" or "cis straight woman." It's "gay trans man" or "dead."

[izzystizzys]

Half the jobs Fox is sent on are not within his jurisdiction. This certainly isn’t.

Planetary protection unit, they said. Military police. Orbital security force.

And now Fox is being pointed at Count Dooku on some backwater planet and told to fetch. How the mighty have fallen.

He’s pretty sure Kenobi, Skywalker and their units could’ve karked this all up perfectly fine on their lonesome; they don’t need three Guardsmen there to watch them do it. But the Chancellor says jump and Fox surpressed the urge to bash his head in with a durasteel chair. So it goes.

Which is when things start going terribly, terribly wrong, of course.

“Is that Spinder?!”, Skywalker exclaims, arms wheeling out in the air wildly to try and catch his balance. “The Count fucks?!”

Across the room, Cody rips his helmet off, several shades redder than a baseline human should be. “The Count fucks my brother?!”

Two lightsticks hover uselessly in the air, Skywalker’s zig-zagging in a relentless hum with his gesturing. Fox stands stock-still, in the hope that maybe he’ll spontaneously turn invisible if he does. Around them, 501st and 212th troopers gape through helmets. Behind him, Nuisance gasps for air amidst screaming laughter.

Ping, went Fox’s comm unit, in that unmistakeable lascivious jingle sound. Ping, answered Count Dooku’s within a split second. Match found close by.

For a moment, Fox considers what it would be like to run at the Count’s lightsaber at full speed.

…not like that.

“Count”, Kenobi says, with a face like he’s bitten into a rotten fruit. Not that Fox knows what fruit tastes like. “This is a highly… unexpected development.” He fwoosh-es his lightsaber shut, obviously having given up on fighting. “I’d call it a conflict of interest, but I’m not sure that applies?”

“Oh, it’s gonna be a conflict of something, for sure”, Cody hisses, fists clenched at his sides. He looks about ready to boil over, with Crys and Waxer inching closer in preparation. “What have you done to my brother, you monster?!”

“I don’t think you want to know that, Commander”, Nuisance gasps out between barks of laughter, proving why he’s eternally Fox’s least favourite. Cody’s splotchy red complexion slowly fades into ghostly white as a sheen of horror settles over the room. “Thanks for the fancy chocolate bouquet last week, Count!”

Dooku, who has been thus far staring at the floor with an empty thousand-klick stare, looks up at that. Fox has seldom seen a man that defeated outside of the mirror, he has to admit - but shudders when he remembers exactly what the chocolates were for.

Oh Force, he’s sexted Count Dooku into buying him gifts. Does that make him a Seppie spy? Traitor by proxy?

“I feel”, says the Count, gravely, still holding his long red laserknife in a white-knuckled death-grip, “that I have been taken for a fool.”

“Uh”, says Fox, nervously. All eyes snap to him. Oh Force, oh Force, oh Force. They’re going to invent a whole new kind of decommissioning for this and name it after Fox.

“Is it really scamming if you actually get what you pay for?”, asks Grids, considering. Fox slowly pulls off his helmet just for the comforting feeling of burying his head in his gloved palms. The sounds of a struggle ensue, and Kenobi makes a choked-off noise. Maybe if he’s embarrassed enough he’ll give himself an aneurysm.

“Grandmaster, why are you paying people for naked pictures of themselves on the holonet?!” Kenobi asks, despairingly. “Aren’t you a little old for that?”

“Oi, no one said I was naked!”, Fox exclaims, head whipping up.

“So naked”, Nuisance laughs, palm thumping against the floor. He might be crying.

“I’m not decrepit”, the Count blusters, and Skywalker makes a gagging noise. “I have - there are needs, and they are perfectly natural!” It takes three troopers to restrain Cody from launching himself at the Count.

[akirathedramaqueen]

There's one piece of concept art that made me see the entire Apology Tour disaster in a different light.

So, we've been talking with @warblogs17282 about Stolitz and how their break-up ended up playing out in the 'Apology Tour' episode.

Why ended up? Well, there's a collection of concept art which, to my limited understanding of this craft, is one of the first steps in the production process of animation. This post by @birdy-babe includes a great chunk of it, shared by artists after the episodes aired (like storyboards, but much more stylised, showing how different some original ideas were). Long story short, one of the concept arts from the 'Apology Tour' episode suggests their quarrel was originally meant to be much harsher.

A short summary of the concept art to see what we are dealing with

In the background, you see a lot of apology postcards and silly cutesy stationery, suggesting Blitzø is in the middle of his Apology Tour.

The contact name isn't 'Stols' but 'Bird Dick,' implying their relationship is at an earlier stage, with less respect—at least on Blitzø's part.

There's a photo partially cut by the edge of the messages screen. From the signature gloves and boots, cowboy hat covering Blitzø's private parts, and visible nipples, it appears to be a nude image—replaced in later stages of development with stupid gay affirmation memes (as hard as it is to believe, I couldn't imagine there could be anything worse than the Striker horse gay jokes... well, it could, my dudes, it fucking COULD).

There are three messages, one of which is unsent:

"Stolas, cum awwwwwwn, u no u want it :)"—likely attached to the nude;

"Dude just talk to me"—desperation crawls in; he finally realises the shit has hit the fan;

"Im sowwy :("—an apology, but the text remains unsent, perhaps because it seems pointless, given that the 'Not Delivered' notifications and warning signs indicate Stolas has blocked his number.

Why do I find this fascinating, and why does it fill me with immense hope?

Because they still fucking care so much, and neither has completely closed the door on the other. By comparing the concept art to the final product, you can see how many intentional choices were made in dialogue, visuals, and behaviour to make it clear that these two idiots still want things to continue. Stolitz is meant to fucking live.

Now, if you want to see some comparisons—evidence, really—let's dive into each other's changes, focusing on what we can gather from the concept art.

Blitzø's side

Change 1—thank gods, no nudes. The gay memes are sillier and a bit lighter. Of course, they still showcase utter disrespect, a horrible prejudice against sexuality, and a poor understanding of how deeply Stolas was hurt, but I find them... less bad.

Change 2—no more 'Bird Dick.' Blitzø has actually come up with a real nickname for Stolas! Feelings are boring for you, huh, Blitzø? I can almost hear the song’s lines: "O-oh, hooked, addicted you might say, conflicted in a way…"

Change 3—Blitzø's attempts to apologize now show much more contemplation. Since Stolas hasn’t blocked him, Blitzø knows his words aren’t just being thrown into the void. Although the 'unsent' detail remains, it now carries real weight and impact.

All three changes are seen in these two GIFs.

He knows he did wrong. He knows he wants to salvage it. He might not yet know how to do it healthily, but he tries—he tries so fucking hard!

Look at the range of raw, cutting emotions as he speaks to Stolas and finally delivers his apology—probably the only one he genuinely meant. Well, maybe except for Verosika, a bit later.

It's not that it's hard for Blitzø to say 'sorry'—we've seen him do it a lot lately. He's actually quick to apologise and take responsibility, so Stolas's remark about him not feeling any remorse couldn’t be further from the truth. But the fact that he isn't running away this time—chasing after Stolas and trying his best to mend things—is drastically different from how he treated Verosika back then.

Stolas's side

Here’s the moment that struck me deep. It’s the only change, since the concept art shows Blitzø’s POV, but it’s such a significant one.

Do you think Stolas has moved on? Do you think he’s done with Blitzø? Not convinced, even when he’s literally singing about still wanting Blitzø?

Well, here’s your proof—he didn’t block Blitzø. They scrapped that.

More than that, the entire interaction emphasizes that Stolas isn’t pushing Blitzø away for good.

How do I know this? Stolas is very insistent on using phrases like 'for now,' 'right now,' and 'now' throughout his attempts to tell Blitzø off.

Here are some citations:

"I was hoping my lack of 'ha-ha's' in response to the photos you sent me would be an indicator I didn't want to talk right now."

"Seeing you right now is hard!"

"I'm tired of this! I'm uncomfortable with how you're speaking to me now!"

Why is this so important? Because he isn’t asking Blitzø to leave him forever. All he’s asking for is time.

Even while hurt, Stolas gives Blitzø plenty of chances to explain himself civilly. Look at the hopeful glances each time Blitzø shows any glimpse of genuineness.

Stolas fucking hopes Blitzø will take back all the cruel things said and brash actions done.

You know, Stolas... I've spent the entirety of this morning listening to love ballads, and that was...

For what?! You want me to be like, "Oh sorry, this entire time I assumed the worst because I was convinced a prince could never love someone like me and I've let my self-hatred stop me from apologising to anyone I could ever care about!"

You see the furrowed brows and the sad look? Stolas hopes for the best... but gets the worst because Blitzø isn’t there yet.

I’d even go so far as to say Stolas is acutely aware that Blitzø uses his brashness as a shield to protect himself. He literally sang about it in 'Just Look My Way.'

Unless it's me? And no matter what in this world I could give, it's not enough to get through these walls you've conjured up to live.

So, what gives?

Is this the behaviour of people who want to give up on a relationship they still clearly hold dear?

No. Even when they’re angry, aggressive, hurt, or drunk, they still seek understanding and forgiveness. They continue to listen and try.

They might lack the skills and may choose the wrong time, place, or words to express what truly matters...

One person, scared of being rejected so much that he unconsciously conveys this message by saying, "You don’t have to stay here with me," and carrying it throughout the whole conversation...

The other, coming to terms with his feelings, admits them, and his fears, a bit too late—when his romantic interest is too drunk to comprehend anything…

And in both cases—self-loathing, self-hatred, doubts, scars, trauma… and a lack of hope.

But there is hope. No, this is reassurance, my folks.

You know when it's hardest to stay in a relationship? When it’s hardest to come and say, "I am sorry," when it’s hardest to still love the person?

When you’re hurt. When they’ve hurt you.

And, despite that, you still come to them and still want to talk to them.

If this isn’t ironclad evidence that this is more than just a fling or a couple of fun sex dates, I don’t know what is.

And the 'Apology Tour' fucking proves it, rather than ruins it. It only strengthens the point. It’s easy to live in happiness, but it’s so hard to go through it while you’re in pain. When you see them doing that, you realise it means everything to them.

Stolitz is to live.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

lighting & color practice with the Fluffy Fruits <3

[tiffysdeath]

alex is literally so boyfriend coded

[alien-bottle]

Hes like a piece of art

Is he paying attention to what hes saying? Hes certainly trying

[becauseplot]

The recent announcement of the qsmp election event and q!philza confirming in canon that he is an anarchist kinda rattled something that's always been sort of spinning around in my brain: the fact that both c!emerald-duo (from DSMP) and q!philza (from QSMP) have had their lore tied in with the lore of the Antarctic Empire on SMPEarth. The thing about c!emduo and q!philza is that they are (as mentioned earlier) full-blown anarchists who vehemently oppose government in all its forms, but ae!emduo were, in fact, the co-leaders of an empire.

Now I don't actually know an awful lot about what went down on SMPE (from what I understand, it just sort of...ended?), but like, bear with me here---imagine SMPE is a world of actual empires: citizens, kings, soldiers, armies. A world capable of full-scale war. ae!Phil and ae!Techno are the leaders of one of the most powerful empires in all the land. Then, flash forward some years (decades? centuries?) later, and they're both anarchists completely disillusioned with government as a whole and actively fight against it when they see fit.

What happened? What happened between the birth of the Antarctic Empire and the beginning of the DSMP/QSMP that made them completely give that up and start to oppose what they once supported? 

Was it something they witnessed? One too many peaceful villages burned, one too many mangled bodies found beneath the rubble, one too many of their own men imprisoned, tortured for information, then left for dead?

Was it something that someone did to them? A beloved friend caught in the crossfire of a war; an ally they thought they could trust sticking a knife in their backs in an attempt to seize the Empire for themself; a foe that was simply too strong, too ruthless, too power-hungry to be defeated, much less reasoned with?

Or was it something that they did? Something they did that, for the first time, made their own stomachs turn. Made them question if it was all worth it. Made them realize that it never was. Were they ever at odds? One person begging that they halt their progress immediately while the other doubled down, insisting their actions were justified. Did they fight about it? Threaten the other with arrest for treason? Threaten to leave the other and never, ever look back?

What was the final straw? What makes an emperor become an anarchist?

[watcherintheweyr]

desperately need people to understand that alicent is a victim but she’s also an abuser and a perpetrator

that she actively makes choices to harm other women because of jealousy and envy and the greed deep in her bones because submitting to suffering didn’t get her what those women fight to grasp for themselves.

she is absolutely a victim, in show.

that doesn’t change that she abused rhaenyra and her children, her own son, most likely helaena given how she flinches every time her mother touches her, and is actively weaponizing the patriarchy of westeros against other women- rhaenyra primarily, but also mysaria and dyana.

she isn’t the moral, righteous force of good that even she thinks she is, she’s a wounded woman directing all of the rot, pain, and fury inside her at the wrong people and forces.

[yandere-daydreams]

currently 6,118 words into nurlse prt 3. gojo just got here. there's been two climaxes and one and a half public sex scenes. child endangerment is rampant and i am out of ways to describe people standing in doorways. so far everything is proceeding as planned but i will remain cautious.

[torchickentacos]

i will always shout praises of bi4bi but given recent discourse I feel the need to say that I love bi4het too! I just love bisexuality in general in its many forms, and anyone who only likes it when it's 'queer enough' for them is biphobic. Bisexuals should be able to bring their LaMe CiShEt BoYfRiEnD to pride without being made to feel like spectators and outsiders to their own event.

[allgremlinart]

was going to be like "uwa uuhh wuuu wuu if I post jetkobaby!ocs will u guys promise not to unfollow me for being cringe 🥺 I dont want to spring this on you" as if I havent posted ghostbatbaby!ocs on here before. and also a billion other things also on that same level. You know who I am by now

[salemontrial]

Why the FUCK didn't Sasha apologize to Quinni.

[madscientistenthusiast]

Nothing can change my mind that in the beautiful alternate universe where they had been allowed to make Kurt gay in X-Men Evolution, that he would not have had the most deeply embarassing crush on Scott

[tiffysdeath]

the sluttiest thing a man can do is be evan peters

[haruniki]

Can I get an afab × Makima fanfic?

Reader works at the PSDH (Hope I remembered the acronym right. I am just a simp, not a watcher of the manga or anime) as a sort of paper worker. Basically just doing the paper work that doesn't need to be bothered with by Makima. (if that is a thing that is real idk) Reader one day finished all her work and then walks straight to Makima's office and sits on her lap, puts her face in the crook of her neck, and promptly falls asleep hugging Makima. No words said by Reader, Makima only going like "Oh!" and then just going with it, maybe talking a bit. Idk i'm a lonely sapphic lmao

a/n: tysm for rqing!! i do apologize for taking so long to fulfill this quest! I don't really like writing Makima too often! I hope you enjoy this and i do apologize if it isn't too great!! Also for context of this story, Makima and Reader will already be in a relationship bc i think that would be easier for me to write akdnfadkjfla

Scratching noise can be heard all throughout the room, a stack of papers on one side of the desk. Papers needing verification to whether people could switch patrol or even to get permission to temporarily take out one of the higher functioning devils for a day for some need back up. And lots and lots of damage reports that need to be reviewed. You've been working all day and haven't taken any breaks, but it was all the more worth to be done with it all before 10 PM. Adding the final stamp to the paper, you give a small cheer and a small stretch. Standing up, you begin to head to a very familiar office. Makima had asked you earlier that morning that you had some paperwork to do and to come visit her after you were done. Knocking on her office door, a muffled "come in" can be heard, inside Makima sits at her desk with a similar sized stack of papers beside her. She doesn't look as tired as you are though. Walking up to her, you pull her chair back which cause Makima to let out a little "hmm" before letting out a small "Oh" as you sit in her lap. Wrapping you arms around her waist and muzzling your face in her neck. Makima looks down at you briefly before smiling softly and placing a small kiss on your temple. "Did all that paperwork make you tired? I do apologize, no one else finishes the work in such a timely manner. I'll have to make it up to you. Perhaps we could go on a date? After you rest up of course,"

[envolvenuances]

honestly the amount of lesbian and bi women commenting their experiences being sexualy harassed by straight women here plus all the gay and bi men I know who grew up on sexual terrorism from the straight boys/men around them starting to make me feel like the idea all homosexuals/bisexuals fantasize about sleeping with a straight person is one of the biggest reversals in history